All About Crape Myrtles (Growing and Maintaining Crape Myrtles)

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All About Crape Myrtles - Growing and Maintaining Crape Myrtles. This video explains the different types of Crape Myrtles and how to maintain them. Crape Myrtles come in lots of different sizes and lots of different colors. There are dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard varieties. There are red, pink, purple, and white flowering varieties.
Crape Myrtle
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[@womack5086]

Learned a lot. To the point without any ‘filler’ talking

[@kellyweber4047]

Best plant channel; so informative & well presented. Thanks, Jim, for a wealth of information!

[@janiceguidry353]

I have 30 TONTO Crepe Myrtles growing along both sides of my driveway & around my yard. They grow up to 10' tall & bloom at the end of June, beginning of July; love em!

[@farvista]

Sometimes, I think that THESE are the national tree of Texas, alongside the pecan. You see them EVERYWHERE. I have 6, myself, a deep purple, bushy one, a blood red one, a tall pink tree one, magenta, lavender...I love 'em. A neighbor has an absolutely massive, umbrella-shaped one that's rather old. The wood can be a bit brittle, but the bark is beautiful. My blood red one got a bad case of sooty mold, but I spent some time blasting the tree clean, and after that, it was fine. I WILL go outside this evening to remove the flowering suckers, and thank you for that tip.

[@durangodave]

I tried to find a blue one for my red-white-blue theme for my yard but true blue is not yet possible.

[@kaylac3367]

A ton of great information! I'm so thankful! I've been watching some of your older videos like this one and just keep getting a wealth of information. Thank you 😀❣

[@pgcastro758]

Thank you Jim for all the great information. I had many questions and your video gave all the information I needed.

[@JeanTOM-qb5dm]

This is still one of your best videos, Jim! Always so helpful to review it.

[@youssefgad9740]

The best video on KZbin for crepe Myrtle , has all information you need, Thank you Jim.

[@patrickjames1159]

I live in Florida and so far I've planted 30 or so in my back yard . Most were in 1 gallon pots .. the ones I planted last year have just now started to grow more rapidly. I got them from a friend of mine.that works at a nursery . I bought them and planted 20 of them in my back yard staggered in 2 rows approximately 8 feet apart. Im hoping that it will create sort of a privacy barrier eventually

[@duanehostetler2027]

How is the progress gone so far? I’m interested in lining them down my driveway.

[@patrickjames1159]

@@duanehostetler2027 I pruned them. It seems like it's taking forever. Maybe next month there will be improvement. Maybe I'm just impatient. I don't know if I'll get to see them get majestic or anything . It certainly seems I won't .

[@SMElder-iy6fl]

My father was from Georgia. His job was in New Mexico, but in 35 years of living in the high desert he had to have a crape myrtle. In January, 1971, the temperature went to minus 21 and the crape myrtle appeared quite dead. My father bought a new one and planted it in the same place. You can guess what happened! When that poor crape myrtle re-grew from the roots, my father had the only 2-tone crape myrtle in town!

[@patrickjames1159]

@@SMElder-iy6fl Nice 🙂

[@rahelg7497]

I love your videos, short and to the point. You could be a great journalist.

[@aly3560]

Loved this video! I didn’t realize there was so many varieties! I have 2 tall trees. Now I will add some smaller shrubs to my yard for more color!

[@lorih5915]

Thank you for the great info! I live in a zone 12b. The Crape Myrtle grows beautifully here, too!☀️

[@djonpow]

Thanks for the info....I take care of a lot of plants including crepe myrtle at an assisted living facility and your channel is just what I needed...liked, shared, subbed and.....DING!

[@personalaccount342]

awesome info cheers. loved the season references rather than months as its transferable across hemispheres.

[@Pamalumpa]

Very helpful! I have a whole line of them that were planted next to the house but are the TREE kind. I'm transplanting them to better places around the yard.

[@angelasargent9697]

Very informative and helpful as the owner of a new plant.

[@tataadarivlog7529]

I like this flowers i have that 5 colors collections makes me happy when i see blooming

[@vickiefowler1429]

Very informative... very thorough! Excellent presentation! Thanks for sharing.

[@trishhoward1163]

Thank you so much. Your comments were very informative and helpful. I do wish you would have addressed whether to cut off the seed pods after the first yearly blooming occurs.

[@cashrules520]

I have 3 of them in my front yard.. had to get them after driving NC highways very very beautiful scene

[@deborahwade2641]

I have a Miss Francis CM tree . Deep red and it's a beauty. Thanks for fertilizer tip.😊

[@MrsKuhn.2]

Thank you for this info. Just moved into a home with many crape myrtle.

[@melaniewallace1289]

I have a crape myrtle fetish going on right now, so I was really loving this post, and then I got that glimpse of Holly wandering through the frame! Now I'm going to be looking for her in the rest of the vids! Thanks again for all the inspiration. I hope my black diamond crape survives my skills.

[@royboy3597]

Great video, you banged it out. Very informative. I live on long island ,and can't kill my crype myrtals. They start to bloom early August . Love the bark too. I guess they keep hybriding new stuff.

[@jeffreynash5236]

Mr. Putnam seems extremely knowledgeable and includes advice, tips, and suggestions which are super useful for the casual gardener. After watching this video on planting, fertilizing, and tending to Crape Myrtles, I feel confident my five new shrubs will flourish after planting.

[@mimimd9652]

The first time I saw crepe myrtles in professionally maintained gardens, I was at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and I was in awe!!! They were stunning! I've never seen more beautiful trees and what's great about crepe myrtles is that they're such fast growers!

[@katerinaballerina7]

You must be near me. We live near BG Williams. We are in Zone 8b and we have crape myrtles everywhere.

[@k8reed]

Thank you so much, Jim! The video was incredibly helpful.

[@K.KleopatraK.]

This is really the only great and informative video I´ve found and watched, regarding my Myrtles. Wonderful work. Thank you very much!

[@kimdramer1641]

Thank you for this very informative and complete video on Crape Myrtles. Trying to grow three dwarf trees on my NYC terrace this year. This video was most helpful.

[@dtone63]

Ive noticed alot more Crape Myrtles in NYC. They've always been here but they really thrive now, and not just the shrub varieties but full fledged trees. Over the years a lot of the area has gone from zone 6 to zone 7b now and it shows.

[@kimdramer1641]

@@dtone63 We got hardy dwarf varieties. They are absolutely thriving after being planted in April. I'm hoping they survive the NYC winter so we can enjoy them again. Such a huge amount of color and charm. Thanks again for your great video.

[@mariebarnes416]

The Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood are just beautiful this summer. They must love the heat.

[@kwgrid]

THANK YOU FOR SPELLING IT CORRECTLY! See my comment above.

[@elenaceleste983]

Crepe myrtle are planted along the street in front of my apt. some seed i picked I planted in my yard last year I thought I killed it but then it came out around March and now it 's about 10 ft high.

[@HectorDiaz-xk7iy]

Elena Celeste what zone are you in

[@lesliedunn173]

@@HectorDiaz-xk7iy p

[@mindfulmaximalist9962]

I don't care for their flowers, but I love their bare bark. Very informative. Thanks

[@phukan3913]

ดอกยี่เข่งมีหลายสีสวยมากๆค่ะ..สีขาวหายากมากๆ

[@ruthkaha3099]

Your video was extremely helpful thank you for sharing your information.

[@tashee8772]

Great and always useful information. Truly enjoy your channel.

[@nightstar525]

Thanks for all the great info, I bought 3 black diamond crape myrtles 2 yrs ago this summer, I accidentally mowed one down with my riding mower 😩🤷 I just knew I killed it but I didn't it came back I live in 7 mid-Tennessee I got a few blooms last year I'm looking forward to better blooms this year, these have gorgeous burgundy leaves and red blooms thanks for the info and trimming it up these supposedly get 10 to 12 ft tall

[@wendywoo2180]

Thank you for this informative video. I'm living w/my widowed father & he just had a huge tree in his yard removed; it blocked the sun so grass wouldn't grow & the roots were encroaching the bottom of the house, but we still want another tree--just not as big. We were debating between a peach tree & a crepe myrtle, I think the latter will win, there are so many lovely varieties. Even though my dad enjoys gardening, he knows very little about these tress & I know even less than he does, so this video helped.

[@shervegas]

I started watching your videos after stumbling on this one you have provided me with countless informative tips.

[@lesliedunn173]

Thanks!!

[@melancholymello6237]

Have some beautiful ones in my family home I grew up with these huge trees in my Childhood home I remember pulling off the dead bark and great climbing trees

[@donniecoleman8509]

Very informative and useful as always. Thanks for sharing.

[@aquilathebee8058]

You are right. I applied fertilizer late summer/ fall and it killed my Muskogee. I replaced it with a healthier one and am just enjoying it this summer. I am planting two Biloxis soo. Please review on one. Thanks!

[@northeasthardytropicals541]

Nice video, we love these striking beauties.

[@cottonmather5883]

I found clipping the seed bunches during blooming season promotes more blooms as the plant doesn't have to expend energy on seed production and directs energy into more blooms, possibility too the blooms are nature's way of alerting the plant to produce blooms that make the seeds since they've been cut, a survival thing. Anyway, it works.

[@sandrajustus1247]

I was going to add this as a comment myself and I saw your response. I have done this for several years to my crepe myrtles. When the seed pods begin to form I take my Snips and take the ends off and usually within a couple of weeks I have new blooms resetting. I've had the entire tree in full bloom two times for a season. I love the extended season. It doesn't seem to affect the blooming for the next year, at least so far it hasn't for me.

[@lynnreagan5645]

Great video..lots of good advice. Thanks for sharing.

[@yankeespanky6570]

I was just sitting at the window of my apartment enjoying the sun and in the 3 years I’ve lived here I’ve always wondered what the beautiful tree outside my window was, with its beautiful pink flowers. Did a little research and now I’m here. Beautiful trees, thanks for the informative video!

[@Theweeze100]

Great info. Great channel!!!

[@hermitcard4494]

There are in Panama, Central America. I live around 0-10 meters above sea level, we have only rainy season and dry season lasting around 6 months (depending on El Niño or La Niña) and have like 36°C to 30°C. So yeah, they can pretty well tolerate heat here.

[@ejmedina7065]

Thank you for sharing this info!! I love them!! Evelyn from Colorado

[@JimPutnam]

Thanks for watching

[@singergirlletmesing]

2 MONTHS AGO SAMS WAS SELLING THESE FOR 9.98 AND I BOUGHT 1 IT IS SO HAPPY IT IS BLOOMING LIKE CRAZY I LOVE IT IT IS DARK RED

[@antonioyasuoka]

Beautiful flowers.

[@pearljames5838]

Very informative video. Thank you.

[@jennienorcutt7767]

Hello. I live in western Nevada, zone 6b. I bought a small crape myrtle several years ago and planted it in a large pot. I bring it into a sunroom after the first frost, and keep it there until the middle of April. I bring it back outside and within days it is covered in new growth. It doesn't grow a tremendous amount during the summer, but it blooms beautifully from July until frost. Thank you for your video; I was pruning in the fall, now I will wait until spring.

[@JimPutnam]

Good information. Thanks for watching

[@gsftom]

Great video. I have had some crepe myrtles (12 feet) for years and they are tough. I just took some cuttings from them and potted them in soil. The cuttings are growing great. I have another property that needs a few CMs. I am in zone 8/9.

[@inspirationalthoughtsbymax2521]

WOW that's good to know 😊! Did you have to let roots grow on them before you planted them?

[@johnniepurifoy5004]

Very helpful video.Thank You!!

[@Tina06019]

Thanks Jim! The Arbor Day Foundation sent us two ( unasked-for) crape myrtle bareroot plants with a membership package of 10 bareroot trees. We live in NW Connecticut, in an area where Zones 5a and 6b alternate in North to South running hills and valleys. So I will probably keep these in two large containers in my mostly- underground storage room through the first winter. After I plant them out (because you wrote below that they aren’t great container plants), I’ll try the straw blanket for winter. And when they die completely, I’ll know it was pointless and try to not take it personally, and remember to say thank you and then throw away Zone-inappropriate plant gifts in the future!

[@Tina06019]

At least the other trees are climate-appropriate!

[@CSFAV]

Thank you very much for the useful tips!! I'm in love with Crape Myrtles!!

[@JimPutnam]

Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@sallymettias3841]

Great information, very helpful.

[@enrique-ke2pk]

These grow so well and easily in southern California they bloom till fall

[@lindas5964]

I notice that black soot on my Camilla’s as well but not sure I’ve seen the aphids? Gonna use the soapy water anyway and clean them up. Thanks for the info. Love this channel!

[@thedosh100]

thank you very informative. Would have liked more info on care for newly planted tress 15 feet tall.

[@fludrbywest3886]

Very impressive and informative ❤ thank you 🙏🏻 ❤

[@mariabarreto4417]

This video is very important for me

[@marthajf73]

Great info. Thanks.

[@hereiknowmyself-jeaniealks377]

Very informative! Thank you

[@margielulu1366]

I got a bunch and they are beautiful the only problem they stain the concrete, so make sure they are not close to your patio or driveway. Also they grow everywhere after the seed fall on the ground. I don’t put anything and they look just fine.

[@laurastrobel718]

Crepe myrtles are amazingI love them I use them as arrangements and am so happy when they first start blooming. In winter chickadees eat the seeds left on the twigs. Very helpful info, thanks

[@wflower4709]

@Laura Strobel - What colour do you have? I don't know if these would grow for me in Canada, but they are very nice.

[@laurastrobel718]

@@wflower4709 Medium pink and light pink

[@wflower4709]

@@laurastrobel718 - Thanks for your note. Those would be nice colours!!!

[@laurastrobel718]

@@wflower4709 your welcome

[@laurastrobel718]

@@tas5622 They don't. I should have ended the sentence at "start blooming" then "In winter..." I will correct that, thanks

[@cherylbecker3167]

Here in Western Oregon,they have been known to bloom as late as August and September !

[@kathymahosky3574]

That's when mine bloom in Silverton Oregon

[@deborahsperberg9247]

Great video

[@boienglishbulldog3092]

Absolutely beautiful 😍😍

[@ericscottstevens]

I do not prune them as I have room for them to expand. I am in the mountains of the Zone 7 area and they thrive even in clay base soil and moisture content. Really a miracle organism, I have transplanted some I thought had no chance of survival (very short tap root) and they start to grow. I recommend the lavender (Muskogee), they like full sun all day and love if you water them when they are young. If you have rabbits, woodchucks, or deer watch out during the winter as they will eat the young crepes down to the ground almost. Wrap the trees with black plastic netting to deter a nasty surprise.

[@lolypil3060]

Wow nice beutyful flower i love it

[@amyvinson4398]

Hi Jim! I don’t know if you’ll see this question since it’s on such an old video. Hopefully, you will. :). Congrats on the 60K subscribers too!! I need advise on a crape myrtle for my flower bed. I have 2 corners that are 2 stories tall and full brick. It faces west so the wall will “shade” it from the morning sun which is concerning due to mildew. I would really like the crepe myrtle to be tall (15-20’) so it will soften the massive brick wall. It needs to be vase shape (no wider than 12’) so I can plant it about Bloom color is hot pink or red and fall color preference of red or yellow/orange. I am hoping you can recommend a Crepe Myrtle. I have read about a lot but can’t find a trusted resource.

[@nranderson778]

I bought really dark purple crepe and I have it in a pot. It was so lovely but for some reason half of the branches seemed to die! I was horrified but they seem to have new buds so maybe it will survive.

[@bowsie6129]

I live in Las Vegas and I have 3 in my backyard. They thrive out here.

[@navajo6931]

Beautiful

[@deeptadhami]

Thanks Jim - I am in NC and your videos have been especially helpful with the kind of problems generally seen in our area. Recently, we have planted these very berry dwarf crepe myrtles after watching your how-to video. They were doing well for around a week and started blooming too. But this week I see their leaves are turning yellow with black spots. An old hedge at the same spot used to have similar problems and now the myrtles too. The soil is hard clay that we mixed some compost and gardening soil into. Any tips on what could it be? Thank you!

[@tyrehester5550]

These are invasive in that the roots will send up sprouts in your lawn. Sometimes 15-20 feet from the plant. They also put out a lot of seeds. In 2017 I cut down six and had the stumps ground. Just filled an entire paper bag of sprouts today. I love how they look - but no longer in my yard.

[@EdgeSanityGaming]

Yeah, it's a plant.

[@Faye_vr]

Great info

[@marianpowell5674]

This is the most overall informative video that I have watched concerning Crepe Myrtles, their planting, fertilizing, pruning and pest control. I have two beautiful native trees that are very old and beautiful that I am wanting more profuse blooming on. After watching this video I know what should be done to help this. Can't wait to put info into action and make a beautiful old specimen even more gorgeous. Thank you Jim.

[@patromano5564]

Marian Powell Bb

[@kwgrid]

THANK YOU FOR SPELLING IT CORRECTLY! See my comment above.

[@osands]

Had a dynamite crepe get covered in aphids this season in wake forest. This was my first season with it and now I've managed to handle it by spraying them off with water and using neem oil slurry. It also had the black sooty mold and it definitely set the tree back hard. This was about a 5ft dynamite so its still young. Also had them on my ebony flames crepes too!

[@Tina06019]

Owen Sands I hate those aphids! They just eat up my roses. It’s a running battle between myself and the aphids - but if I don’t keep fighting, they win. Constant vigilance is the price of freedom, and of keeping your roses alive and blooming!

[@GlueGunsRoses]

@@Tina06019 I had the trifecta of pest on my tree this year. Wasp, ants and aphids. Noticed the wasps first. There was at least 50 of them swarming around the tree at dawn. I treated the ants and 2 days later sprayed the tree with water during the day & from a distance. I repeated that the following week and finally got the wasp under control but had to continuously spray the tree with water and spray the base for ants throughout the summer. Any tips you have would be appreciated! ❤

[@davidjose9808]

I used an electric pressure washer (lower power than gasoline powered) to blast upward through the canopy to remove aphids from the undersides of the leaves...after repeated unsuccessful efforts with Dawn or insecticides. Yes...it damages the leaves and blows out the dying leaves, but that’s the point. The pressure washer works well to then clean each branch, blossom cluster and trunk of the black sooty mold that results from the “honey dew” sap that the sucking aphids induce. Now I will use dormant oil this fall, prune carefully, and NOT over-fertilize like I did this past Spring. I read that over-fertilizing crepes will foster an aphid onslaught...and I witnessed that first hand.

[@lizmumford901]

very informative

[@slashetc]

I live in a neighborhood with a major pavement ant problem just realized there are also a lot of bushy-looking crape myrtles that aren't really maintained.

[@L4sleeko]

LoL Jim, your favorite plant! 😄

[@GrinningFeline13]

Thank you, this video helped me a lot ^^

[@markmarcelis]

perfect Jim !!

[@normaellis7914]

Great video thanks again!

[@JimPutnam]

Thanks for watching.

[@segapena5033]

I started a bunch of seedlings from seed about 4 months ago. One is already blooming. It only has about 3-4 stems growing horizontally and longest is maybe 5in but has at least 3 flower buds on the end and one fully flowering. The flower is light purple. Never heard of a crape myrtle seedling going from seed to bloom in as little as 4 months. I thought they would take years to mature before they bloomed.

[@P_Belle]

5k likes! Go Mr. HortTube 👍

[@katieholt2367]

Hey there. Great video, thank you. I moved to a new home where the builder had two crape myrtles planted in the front in full sun, no idea what variety . We moved in early Feb. in central FL, so I didn't expect growth. They looked like tan twigs in the ground, about 3.5' tall. Around early March I started to see little leaves in patches forming, over the last few weeks only a few of those patches have formed very dark small green leaves but no other change or growth. The stem under the thin bark is bright green and alive. The plant in is FL clay sand, typical for this area. Advice? Leave them alone? Dig around tree and place some Black Cow or rich soil?

[@ban2700651]

Great video. Unfortunately I saw after I ordered the Black Diamond Crepe Myrtle instead of First Edition. First edition is more in line with size I needed. I love the almost black foliage against the white flowers. Both have this, now what to do with the Black Diamond now it has shipped; guess I will have to order the First Edition to get appropriate size. Will find someone who needs the larger or just keep in a pot to keep small. probably will do the latter. Barbara

[@offtharadarrlowkey5781]

by far my fav plant second is magnolia trees but i struggle with those

[@christineribone9351]

Hi Jim, love your videos. I was wondering if it's alright to trim off some of the lower branches to make a single trunk crepe myrtle. If so, which one do you keep, and which ones do you trim off?

[@zap4980]

My favorite plant 😍😍😍😍😍 Live in Texas !

[@JimPutnam]

👍

[@pand9293]

They're good for the bees because they bloom in August when there is little food for them !

[@shanehester5317]

in the past 3 years ive planted a good many of them.all have been succesful.they dont seem to be hard to grow.

[@dabble5]

We live in zone 8, in Texas. We bought 3- 15 gallon Natchez crepe myrtle this spring. We are wondering if we are over watering our trees. My husband bucket waters them about 10 to 12 gallons per day. Every day since we planted them. The temp has been in the upper 90's to triple digits for the past month, typical Texas heat. The trees have not bloomed very much. If he waters less, the leaves start to droop. The trunks of these trees are about 1.5 inches in diameter at the bottom. The soil is black dirt in a pretty rocky area. We have about 10 other crepes on our land that are doing wonderful but they were much smaller when we planted them.

[@embodiedconducting]

Please either share how best to trim the shubty variety (about 5-6 feet), or share another of your websites that includes that information. Thanks!

[@qiuwbr091]

I thought I killed a dwarf crepe myrtle tree last summer. It really looked dead. This spring it started leafing out. I wish I could post a picture right now. It has an amazing amount of blooms! (I almost threw it away.)

[@leoneidebarbosa]

Essa planta é muito linda!

[@jeanwissinger6013]

Soapy water works great on aphids.